Landscape heterogeneity and vegetation potential in Italy

We describe the relationship between landscape heterogeneity and vegetation potential in Italy within the international context of landscape characterization and assessment. Considering the Italian pattern of biodiversity on a landscape scale, we briefly describe the main national biogeographic features and illustrate the most recent hierarchical classification in homogeneous land units and main vegetation potential characteristics. Lastly, the results obtained by geographically integrating landscape diversity and vegetation series distribution are presented according to their relevance to conservation and ongoing national projects, such as those aimed at identifying and mapping important plant areas (IPAs), outlining, locating and characterising old growth forest in the national parks, rating plant invasion on a national scale, and assessing landscape conservation in the national parks and, more generally, in Italy.